All of Mr Timothy Gaston’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail (i) why the Investigation Report commissioned in relation to the TREES Project was not included in the answer to AQW 31577/22-27 on the basis that it related to employee matters, given that (a) the Forestry Survey and the Governance and…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any action he is taking to ensure that Northern Ireland’s herring industry, including vessels, processors and dependent onshore businesses, is not negatively impacted devastated by advice emerging from ICES.
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 35382/22-27, to detail (i) whether her Department accepts any responsibility for addressing flooding on Maralaco Road caused by road drainage where riparian landowners do not cooperate; and (ii) the powers she intends to exercise to ensure necessary works are…
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 35382/22-27, to detail the number of times, in each of the last five years, her Department has used its enforcement powers under Schedule 5 of the Drainage (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 in cases involving failures by riparian landowners to maintain undesignated…
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure, pursuant to AQW 35382/22-27, to provide a timeline of all engagements her Department has had with riparian landowners regarding the maintenance of the undesignated watercourse at Maralaco Road, including (i) dates of initial contact; (ii) follow-up correspondence; (iii) site…
Findings from the Covid-19 Inquiry To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister, in light of the findings of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry regarding ministerial dysfunction, political division and the breakdown of collective government during the pandemic, to outline any immediate steps they are taking to restore…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in light of the regulatory implications of the Windsor Framework, whether the UK Government retains full freedom to allocate and defend quota shares for Northern Ireland fishermen, or whether its discretion is constrained in practice by…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any steps his Department has taken to address concerns previously raised by Northern Ireland fishermen that they would be disadvantaged under the UK quota allocation system compared with fleets in other parts of the UK.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, given the Republic of Ireland’s closure of its 6–12 mile zone to Northern Ireland vessels and indications of further restrictions within 0–6 miles for vessels over 18 metres, and considering that Republic of Ireland fleets catch a substantial share of…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in light of his Department’s emissions-reduction targets and the financial challenges faced by fishermen in replacing older diesel engines, whether he will consider introducing a decommissioning scheme for older vessels as a means of reducing fleet…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs how the socio-economic impact assessment provided by industry, detailing the hardship likely to arise from the proposed quota reductions, is being factored into his Department’s discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether his Department will publish a recovery and sustainability plan for 2026 - 2030 aimed at rebuilding quota opportunities for the (i) Irish Sea mixed-fishery fleet; and (ii) Northern pelagic fleet, including clear targets and timelines.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail (i) any actions being taken to ensure that scientific assessments for Nephrops and mackerel stocks incorporate region-specific data from the Irish Sea and northern waters, so that Northern Ireland vessels are not disadvantaged by broader…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, given Norway’s unilateral quota increases in recent years, to detail any steps he will take to ensure that proposed reductions to Irish Sea quotas prioritise limiting Norwegian access to EU and UK waters for mackerel and blue whiting.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any immediate financial support schemes under consideration, including emergency tie-up support, resilience funding for processors or temporary diversification grants, to prevent long-term economic damage to Northern Ireland’s coastal…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any mitigation strategies his Department will put in place to support Northern Ireland vessels facing rising fuel costs and limited access to alternative fishing zones, in order to prevent forced tie-ups, permanent fleet loss or vessels…
To ask the Minister for the Economy, in light of the UK Government's previous warnings about security risks associated with Chinese state-linked companies such as Huawei and ZTE, to outline any assessment she undertook before facilitating the China-Northern Ireland Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum…
Supreme Court Judgement on Christian Religious Education and Collective Worship To ask the Minister of Education, in light of the Supreme Court judgment in the matter of an application by JR87 and another for Judicial Review (Appellant), to outline the action he will take to protect the Christian ethos of schools and…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail (i) any engagement his Department has had with the UK Government in relation to the proposed 70 per cent reduction in the mackerel Total Allowable Catch; and (ii) any representations made to secure a fair and sustainable outcome for Northern…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, in light of the simultaneous quota reductions across multiple key species, to detail any measures his Department will take to support small-to-medium Irish Sea vessels and Northern Ireland’s pelagic fleet.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail (i) any assessment his Department has made of the combined economic impact on Northern Ireland’s fishing industry of the advised 70 per cent reduction in the mackerel Total Allowable Catch for 2026 and the 35 per cent reduction in Nephrops…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs why the conversion of slurry into biomethane and digestate for use as fertiliser is described as innovative in the promotional material for the Catchment Action for Local Management programme, given that such systems have been in operation for many…
To ask the Minister for the Economy to place the full text of the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Invest NI and the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK in the Assembly library.